System and method for providing combination packages

ABSTRACT

In various exemplary embodiments, a system and method to provide customized combination packages is disclosed. The method includes receiving a selection of a plurality of items from a potential buyer, the selection of the plurality of items creating a customized combination package. Available transaction history for past transactions of similar items to the items of the customized combination package is provided to the potential buyer. An offer from the potential buyer is then received and provided to a seller selling the plurality of items for consideration.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/177,293, filed Jul. 6, 2011 entitled “System and Method for ProvidingCombination Packages,” which claims priority of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/436,476, filed May 6, 2009 and entitled “System and Methodfor Providing Combination Package Best Offers,” all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates generally to the field of computertechnology and, in a specific exemplary embodiment, to a system andmethod of allowing customized combination packages in a network-basedmarketplace.

BACKGROUND

In a multi-seller network-based marketplace, a plurality of sellers caneach list one or more items for sale. Buyers can then offer to purchaseone or more of the items. When purchasing multiple items, the buyer mayeither agree to pay a fixed price on each individual item or provide anoffer on each individual item and wait for an acceptance on each offer.

In some cases, the seller may combine items into packages for listing inthe network-based marketplace. These packages may offer the items at adiscount over purchasing the items individually. However, the packagesare pre-determined and cannot be altered in any way (e.g., with one itemwithin the package exchanged for a different item). Therefore, in orderto satisfy buyers who may want different combinations of items, theseller needs to create a plurality of different individual andcombination package listings on the network-based marketplace.Unfortunately, creating listings is time consuming, and each listing maybe associated with a listing fee. Thus, more listings may require theseller to pay more listing fees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the present invention and cannot be considered aslimiting its scope.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of ahigh-level, client-server-based network architecture of a system used toprovide customized combination best offers.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of amarketplace system of the network architecture of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary best offer engine.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for providingcustomized combination package best offers.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method thr providingprice history.

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a machine in an exemplary formof a computing system within which a set of instructions for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed hereinmay be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes illustrative systems, methods,techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine programproducts that embody the present invention. In the followingdescription, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details areset forth to provide an understanding of various embodiments of theinventive subject matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilledin the art that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may bepracticed without these specific details. Further, well-knowninstruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques have notbeen shown in detail.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Similarly, the term “exemplary” is construed merely tomean an example of something or an exemplar and not necessarily apreferred or ideal means of accomplishing a goal. Additionally, althoughvarious exemplary embodiments discussed below focus on a network-basedmarketplace environment, the embodiments are given merely for clarity indisclosure. Thus, any type of electronic commerce or electronic businesssystem and method, including various system architectures, may employvarious embodiments of the customized combination package best offersystem and method described herein and is considered as being within ascope of exemplary embodiments. Each of a variety of exemplaryembodiments is discussed in detail, below.

Exemplary embodiments provide a system and method for providingcustomized combination packages. Since sellers are more inclined tooffer a larger discount if more items are purchased, exemplaryembodiments allow a potential buyer to customize a package of multipleitems from a seller in order to potentially increase a discountopportunity. Furthermore, exemplary embodiments allow a seller to reducelisting costs since combination packages containing different items atdifferent prices no longer need to be listed separately.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a high-levelclient-server-based network architecture 100 for providing customizedcombination based marketplace or publication system, provides bestoffers is shown. A networked system 102, in an exemplary form of anetwork-server-side functionality, via a network 104 (e.g., the Internetor Wide Area Network (WAN)) to one or more clients. FIG. 1 illustrates,for example, a web client 106 operating via a browser (e.g., such as theInternet Explorer® browser developed by Microsoft® Corporation ofRedmond, Wash. State), and a programmatic client 108 executing onrespective client machines 110 and 112.

An Application Program Interface (API) server 114 and a web server 116are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectivelyto, one or more application servers 118. The application servers 118host a marketplace system 120 and a payment system 122, which maycomprise one or more modules, applications, or engines, each of whichmay be embodied as hardware, software, firmware, or any combinationthereof. The application servers 118 are, in turn, coupled to one ormore database servers 124 facilitating access to one or more informationstorage database(s) 126.

The marketplace system 120 provides a number of marketplace functionsand services to users that access the networked system 102. Themarketplace system 120 is discussed in more detail in connection withFIG. 2.

The payment system 122 provides a number of payment services andfunctions to users. The payment system 122 allows users to accumulatevalue (e.g., in a commercial currency, such as the U.S. dollar, or aproprietary currency, such as “points”) in accounts, and then later toredeem the accumulated value for products (i.e., goods or services) thatare made available via the marketplace system 120. The payment system122 also facilitates payments from a payment mechanism (e.g., a bankaccount or credit card) for purchases of items via the network-basedmarketplace. While the marketplace system 120 and the payment system 122are shown in FIG. 1 to both form part of the networked system 102, itwill be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the payment system122 may form part of a payment service that is separate and distinctfrom the networked system 102.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a third party module 128, executing on a thirdparty server 130, as having programmatic access through the network 104to the networked system 102 via the programmatic interface provided bythe API server 114. For example, the third party module 128 may,utilizing information retrieved from the networked system 102, supportone or more features or functions on a website (not shown) hosted by thethird party. The third party website may, for example, provide one ormore promotional, marketplace, or payment functions that are supportedby the relevant applications of the networked system 102.

While the exemplary architecture 100 of FIG. 1 employs a client-serverarchitecture, a skilled artisan will recognize that the presentdisclosure is not limited to such an architecture. The exemplaryarchitecture 100 could equally well find application in, for example, adistributed or peer-to-peer architecture system. The marketplace system120 and payment system 122 may also be implemented as standalonesoftware programs operating under separate hardware platforms, which donot necessarily have networking capabilities.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary block diagram illustratingmultiple components that, in one exemplary embodiment, are providedwithin the marketplace system 120 of the networked system 102 (seeFIG. 1) is shown.

The marketplace system 120 may be hosted on dedicated or shared servermachines (not shown) that are communicatively coupled to enablecommunications between the server machines. The multiple componentsthemselves are communicatively coupled (e.g., via appropriateinterfaces), either directly or indirectly, to each other and to variousdata sources, to allow information to be passed between the componentsor to allow the components to share and access common data. Thecomponents may furthermore access the one or more database(s) 126 viathe one or more database servers 124, both shown in FIG. 1.

The networked system 102 provides a number of publishing, listing, andprice-setting mechanisms whereby a seller may list (or publishinformation concerning) goods or services for sale, a buyer can expressinterest in or indicate a desire to purchase such goods or services, anda price can be set for a transaction pertaining to the goods orservices. To this end, the marketplace system 120 comprises at least onepublication engine 202 and one or more auction engines 204 that supportauction-format listing and price setting mechanisms (e.g., English,Dutch, Chinese, Double, Reverse auctions, Best Offer, etc.). The variousauction engines 204 also provide a number of features in support of suchauction-format listings, such as a reserve price feature whereby aseller may specify a reserve price in connection with a listing and aproxy-bidding feature whereby a bidder may invoke automated proxybidding.

A pricing engine 206 supports various price listing formats. One suchformat is a fixed-price listing format (e.g., the traditional classifiedadvertisement-type listing or a catalogue listing). Another formatcomprises a buyout-type listing. Buyout-type listings (e.g., includingthe Buy-It-Now (BIN) technology developed by eBay Inc., of San Jose,Calif.) may be offered in conjunction with auction-format listings, andallow a buyer to purchase goods or services, which are also beingoffered for sale via an auction, for a fixed-price that is typicallyhigher than the starting price of the auction.

The pricing engine 206 further supports best offer listings. The bestoffer listing allows a buyer to propose a highest price the buyer iswilling to pay for one or more items. Typically, the best offer listingmay provide a starting price for an item set by the seller. The buyermay agree to pay the starting price or provide an offer for a price thatis lower than the starting price. The best price offer is then providedto the seller for review. The seller may accept or refuse the best priceoffer.

A store engine 208 allows a seller to group listings within a “virtual”store, which may be branded and otherwise personalized by and for theseller. Such a virtual store may also offer promotions, incentives, andfeatures that are specific and personalized to the seller. In oneexample, the seller may offer a plurality of items as best offer itemsin the virtual store. A buyer may then select two or more of the bestoffer items to create a customized combination package, on which thebuyer may make a best offer.

A reputation engine 210 allow users that transact, utilizing thenetworked system 102, to establish, build, and maintain reputations,which may be made available and published to potential trading partners.Because the networked system 102 supports person-to-person tradingbetween unknown entities, users may otherwise have no history or otherreference information whereby the trustworthiness and credibility ofpotential trading partners may be assessed. The reputation engine 210allows a user, for example through feedback provided by one or moreother transaction partners, to establish a reputation within thenetworked system 102 over time. Other potential trading partners maythen reference the reputation for purposes of assessing credibility andtrustworthiness.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the reputation engine 210 receives andstores feedback on both sellers and buyers of the network-basedmarketplace. Feedback on a buyer may include a positive, negative, orneutral rating along with comments from sellers who have interacted withthe buyer. Feedback on a seller may include a general positive,negative, or neutral rating along with comments from buyers who haveinteracted with the seller. Additionally, the buyers may providedetailed seller ratings (DSR) on the seller on various factors. Thefactors may include shipping time, item description, communication, andshipping charges. The DSR may be based on a scale (e.g., five pointscale). The reputation engine 210 also maintains a record of number oftransactions associated with each buyer and seller.

Navigation of the networked system 102 may be facilitated by anavigation engine 212. For example, a search module of the navigationengine 212 enables key word searches of listings published via thenetworked system 102. A browse module of the navigation engine 212allows users to browse various category, catalogue, or inventory datastructures according to which listings may be classified within thenetworked system 102, Various other navigation applications within thenavigation engine 212 may be provided to supplement the searching andbrowsing applications.

In order to make listings available via the networked system 102 asvisually informing and attractive as possible, the marketplace system120 may include an imaging engine 214 that enables users to uploadimages for inclusion within listings. The imaging engine 214 alsooperates to incorporate images within viewed listings. The imagingengine 214 may also support one or more promotional features, such asimage galleries that are presented to potential buyers. For example,sellers may pay an additional fee to have an image included within agallery of images for promoted items.

A listing creation engine 216 allows sellers conveniently to authorlistings pertaining to goods or services that they wish to transact viathe networked system 102, and a listing management engine 218 allowssellers to manage such listings. Specifically, where a particular sellerhas authored or published a large number of listings, the management ofsuch listings may present a challenge. The listing management engine 218provides a number of features (e.g., auto-relisting, inventory levelmonitors, etc.) to assist the seller in managing such listings.

A post-listing management engine 220 also assists sellers with a numberof activities that typically occur post-listing. For example, uponcompletion of an auction facilitated by one or more auction engines 204,a seller may wish to leave feedback regarding a particular buyer. Tothis end, the post-listing management engine 220 provides an interfaceto the reputation engine 210 allowing the seller to conveniently providefeedback regarding multiple buyers to the reputation engine 210.

A messaging engine 222 is responsible for the generation and delivery ofmessages to users of the networked system 102. Such messages include,for example, advising users regarding the status of listings and bestoffers (e.g., providing an acceptance notice to a buyer who made a bestoffer to a seller). The messaging engine 222 may utilize any one of anumber of message delivery networks and platforms to deliver messages tousers. For example, the messaging engine 222 may deliver electronic mail(e-mail), an instant message (IM), a Short Message Service (SMS), text,facsimile, or voice (e.g., Voice over IP (VoIP)) messages via the wired(e.g., the Internet), Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), or wireless(e.g., mobile, cellular, WiFi, WiMAX) networks.

A best offer engine 224 is provided to process customized combinationpackage best offers. The best offer engine 224 is discussed in moredetail in connection with FIG. 3.

Although the various components of the marketplace system 120 have beendefined in terms of a variety of individual modules and engines, askilled artisan will recognize that many of the items can be combined ororganized in other ways. Furthermore, not all components of themarketplace system 120 have been included in FIG. 2. In general,components, protocols, structures, and techniques not directly relatedto functions of exemplary embodiments (e.g., dispute resolution engine,loyalty promotion engine, personalization engines, etc.) have not beenshown or discussed in detail. The description given herein simplyprovides a variety of exemplary embodiments to aid the reader in anunderstanding of the systems and methods used herein.

Application of Embodiments of the Combination Package Best OfferPlatform into the Exemplary Network Architecture

Referring now to FIG. 3, a diagram of the exemplary best offer engine224 is shown. The best offer engine 224 comprises a seller qualificationmodule 302, a buyer qualification module 304, a price history module306, and an offer processing module 308.

The seller qualification module 302 determines which sellers qualify tooffer items for sale via customizable combination package best offers.In various embodiments, sellers having high feedback or detailed sellerratings (DSRs) are allowed to provide items available for a combinationpackage best offer. For example, only sellers that have a 98% positivefeedback or 4.9 DSR on a 5.0 scale are allowed to participate incombination package best offers. The seller qualification module 302 mayreview the feedback received via the reputation engine 210 upon arequest by the seller to offer items for combination package bestoffers. Alternatively, the seller qualification module 302 mayautomatically review the feedback for each seller and notify eligiblesellers that they are qualified to offer items for combination packagebest offers.

In a similar manner, the buyer qualification module 304 determines if abuyer qualifies to make a customized combination package best offer. Invarious embodiments, buyers meeting certain (buyer qualifying) criteriaare allowed to make the combination package best offer. The criteriainclude, for example, having a particular positive feedback percentage(e.g., 98% or above), being linked to a payment account (e.g., a PayPalaccount), or having a minimum number of previous purchases. In someembodiments, the criteria are set by each seller for the seller's ownitems. In other embodiments, a general set of criteria is set by thenetwork-based marketplace, which may be augmented by the individualseller criteria.

The price history module 306 determines a price history for acombination package within, for example, the past 15 or 30 days or aspecified span of period. In exemplary embodiments, the price historymodule 306 accesses the one or more information database(s) 126 forstored previous sale information. The previous sale information may bestored by, or associated with, a seller identifier and an itemidentifier. The seller identifier indicates the seller or merchant,while the item identifier is a unique identifier associated with eachitem that a seller lists. By using these identifiers, the price historymodule 306 can determine a selling price (e.g., best offer sellingprice) the same combination package or selling prices of each individualitem in the combination package

The offer processing module 308 functions with other components of themarketplace system 120 to process combination package best offertransactions. Initially, the offer processing module 308 works with thepricing engine 206, imaging engine 214, and listing creation engine 216to establish the best offer items on the network-based marketplace. Whena combination package best offer is made by a potential buyer, the offerprocessing module 308 works with the messaging engine 222 to notify theseller of the combination package best offer and to receive a responsefrom the seller. A negative response is communicated to the potentialbuyer. A positive response will trigger a completed sale and paymentprocess (e.g., processed by the payment system 122).

Furthermore, the offer processing module 308 may provide the seller witha purchase history of the potential buyer. For example, the offerprocessing module 308 can access the one or more database(s) 126 forinformation on previous purchases made by the same potential buyer basedon a buyer identifier associated with the potential buyer. The purchasehistory includes an indication whether the seller has previously sold tothe potential buyer and a number of purchases previously made by thepotential buyer in the network-based marketplace. Additionalinformation, including feedback associated with the potential buyer, isprovided to the seller. Based on the information, the seller makes aninformed decision on whether to accept a best offer from the potentialbuyer. In another exemplary embodiment (not shown directly), the bestoffer engine 224 includes only the buyer qualification module 304 andnot the seller qualification module 302. In this embodiment, any sellercan produce package offers for sale, but each buyer still should bequalified to bid on one or more packages.

Therefore, while various embodiments of the inventive subject matter aredescribed with reference to assorted implementations and exploitations,it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative only andthat a scope of embodiments of the present invention is not limitedmerely to those described embodiments. Moreover, the adaptive systemsand methods described herein may be implemented with facilitiesconsistent with any hardware system or systems either defined herein orknown independently in the art using techniques described herein. Manyvariations, modifications, additions, and improvements are thereforepossible.

FIG. 4 is illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 forproviding customized combination package best offers. In 402, itemlistings for qualified sellers are provided to a potential buyer. Invarious exemplary embodiments, the potential buyer searches for one ormore particular items in the network-based marketplace. The search maydirect the potential buyer to a virtual store of a particular sellerwhich contains a plurality of items for sale (e.g., “Buy it Now” items,“Best Offer” items) as well as other auctions items. For example, thepotential buyer may be interested in purchasing camera equipment. Asearch of the topic will lead the potential buyer to a virtual camerastore (e.g., Bob's Camera Store) which lists a plurality ofcamera-related items for sale. A link to more detailed feedback on theseller may also be provided on a listing page or in an item listing.This link will provide the potential buyer with more information on theseller (e.g., feedback comments, whether discounts were previouslyprovided or whether the seller has accepted best offers for the same ora similar combination package) and help the potential buyer evaluate thetrustworthiness of the seller.

In 404, a selection of a plurality of items is received from thepotential buyer. The selection results in a customized combinationpackage. Continuing with the example, the potential buyer may selectthree items from Bob's Camera Store to create the customized combinationpackage (e.g., a light kit, a video tripod, and a replacement camerabattery).

A best offer engine determines whether the potential buyer is qualifiedto make the combination package best offer at operation 406. Inexemplary embodiments, the buyer qualification module 304 determines ifthe buyer meets certain criteria to allow the potential buyer to makethe combination package best offer. The criteria include, for example,having a particular positive feedback percentage (e.g., 98% or above),being linked to a payment account (e.g., a PayPal account), or having aminimum number of previous purchases.

In some embodiments, the buyer qualification module 304 performs apre-condition check to determine if the buyer is qualified to make acombination package best offer. If the buyer is not qualified at thepre-condition level, he or she cannot select a plurality of items tomake a combination package. That is, a determination is made whether thebuyer is qualified (operation 406) prior to allowing the buyer to makethe selection (operation 404).

In either case, if a determination is made that the potential buyer isnot qualified, then at operation 408, the potential buyer is given anerror notification. In one embodiment, the error notification isdisplayed as a message on a webpage that indicates that the potentialbuyer does not meet the requirements to make a best offer on aparticular package.

If the potential buyer is qualified, then a price history is provided in410. The price history provides guidance to the potential buyer informulating a best price that the potential buyer is willing to pay forthe combination package. The price history may be provided on a side ofa webpage that allows the potential buyer to submit a best offer. Itshould be noted that in some embodiments, no price history may beavailable. The price history process is discussed in more detail inconnection with FIG. 5 below.

Based on the price history, a best offer is received in 412. The bestoffer is a highest price the potential buyer is willing to pay for thecombination package. In some embodiments, the potential buyer may belimited to a number of times that the potential buyer is allowed to makea best offer on a same combination package. This prevents the potentialbuyer from incrementally increasing a best offer on the same combinationpackage until it is accepted. In some embodiments, the limitation may beapplied to a combination package containing similar items. Additionally,in some embodiments, the potential buyer is limited to entering a bestoffer price to at most 20% below a recommended price, to reduce thenumber of “low-ball” offers that the seller may have to process.Furthermore, the buyer qualification module 304 may run a second time todetermine if the particular package or best over breaks any rules. Forexample, if the best offer price is 30% lower than the recommendedprice, the best offer price may be automatically rejected.

The best offer is forwarded to the seller fir review in 414. The selleris provided additional information associated with the potential buyerin the review process. For example, a purchase history of the samepotential buyer may be provided. Additional feedback associated with thepotential buyer as well as links to the feedback may be provided aswell. Based on all of this information, the seller may make an informeddecision on whether to accept a best offer from the potential buyer. Aresponse is provided to the buyer in 416. Notification as to acceptanceor rejection of the best offer is then communicated to the potentialbuyer.

In some embodiments, a customized combination package with an acceptedbest offer may be listed as a new listing for sale by the seller.Creation of the new listing, including the combination package, may bedesired if the same combination package has sold in the past, anindication that other potential buyers may be interested in the sameitems. As such, the listing creation engine 216 may create the newlisting.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for providing the pricehistory (operation 410) for a combination package. In 502, the selleridentifier and item identifiers are determined. The seller identifierindicates the seller or merchant, while the item identifier is a uniqueidentifier (e.g., a 12-digit number) associated with each item (orplurality of same items in a single listing) that a seller lists. Theitem identifier is generated and associated with an item when a listingfor the item is created. In 504, records associated with the selleridentifier are accessed. In exemplary embodiments, a price historymodule accesses an information database for stored previous saleinformation. The previous sale information may be stored by, orassociated with, the seller identifier.

Records of sales of items having the same item identifier are found 506.As discussed, the item identifier is generated and associated with anitem when a listing for the item is created. If multiple items areavailable within the same listing (e.g., a listing with 5 quantities ofthe item available), the items will have the same item identifier. Thus,when combination package best offers are made, the sale of items havingthe same item identifier as those within the combination package mayreadily be determined.

In 508, a determination is made as to whether a same combination packagehas been previously sold by the seller. By using the item identifier,the price history module may search for the same combination package ofitems. If the same combination package is found, then the price historyis given for the same combination package in 510. The price history maycomprise an average price, a lowest price, a highest price, a range ofprices, or any combination of these if more than one identicalcombination package has sold.

If an identical combination is not found, a determination is made in 512as to whether all item identifiers of items in the combination packageare separately found or found in a smaller combination package.Continuing with the camera example, a combination package with only thelighting kit and the replacement camera battery may have previouslysold. Additionally, the video tripod may also have a past best-offersale. Alternatively, all three camera items may have had one or moreindividual past best-offer sale. In the example, the individual costs ofthe lighting kit (e.g., $176.00), video tripod (e.g., $148.00), andreplacement camera battery (e.g., $69.99) may be $393.99. However, theseller may accept a lower price (e.g., $350) and provide a lowershipping cost (e.g., due to less shipping overhead).

If not all item identifiers are found in 512, then either an incompleteor no price history is available in 514. The potential buyer may, inthis case, be provided with no price history. Alternatively, thepotential buyer may be provided with a summation of the current offerprices for the selected items (e.g., the summation of the base startingprice offered by the seller).

If all item identifiers are found in 512, then the price history basedon the individual prices or smaller combination packages is provided in516. Thus, the price history module may sum the individual best offerselling prices of the items or smaller combinations of the items. Theprice history may comprise an average price, a lowest price, a highestprice, a range of prices, or any combination of these.

Modules, Components, and Logic

Additionally, certain embodiments described herein may be implemented aslogic or a number of modules, engines, components, or mechanisms. Amodule, engine, logic, component, or mechanism (collectively referred toas a “module”) may be a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations and configured or arranged in a certain manner. In certainexemplary embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client, or server computer system) or one or more components of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) orfirmware (note that software and firmware can generally be usedinterchangeably herein as is known by a skilled artisan) as a modulethat operates to perform certain operations described herein.

In various embodiments, a module may be implemented mechanically orelectronically. For example, a module may comprise dedicated circuitryor logic that is permanently configured (e.g., within a special-purposeprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or array) toperform certain operations. A module may also comprise programmablelogic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purposeprocessor or other programmable processor) that is temporarilyconfigured by software or firmware to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that a decision to implement a module mechanically,in the dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarilyconfigured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by,for example, cost, time, energy-usage, and package size considerations.

Accordingly, the term module should be understood to encompass atangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed,permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured(e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certainoperations described herein. Considering embodiments in which modules orcomponents are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of themodules or components need not be configured or instantiated at any oneinstance in time. For example, where the modules or components comprisea general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differentmodules at different times. Software may accordingly configure theprocessor to constitute a particular module at one instance of time andto constitute a different module at a different instance of time.

Modules can provide information to, and receive information from, othermodules. Accordingly, the described modules may be regarded as beingcommunicatively coupled. Where multiples of such modules existcontemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signaltransmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connectthe modules. In embodiments in which multiple modules are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such modules maybe achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval ofinformation in memory structures to which the multiple modules haveaccess. For example, one module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further module may then, at a later time,access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output.Modules may also initiate communications with input or output devicesand can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

Exemplary Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium

With reference to FIG. 6, an exemplary embodiment extends to a machinein the exemplary form of a computer system 600 within which instructionsfor causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein may be executed. In alternative exemplary embodiments,the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-clientnetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer(PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router, a switchor bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequentialor otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further,while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The exemplary computer system 600 may include a processor 602 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) orboth), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, which communicate witheach other via a bus 608. The computer system 600 may further include avideo display unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or acathode ray tube (CRT)). In exemplary embodiments, the computer system600 also includes one or more of an alpha-numeric input device 612(e.g., a keyboard), a user interface (UI) navigation device or cursorcontrol device 614 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 616, a signalgeneration device 618 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device620.

Machine-Readable Medium

The disk drive unit 616 includes a machine-readable medium 622 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions 624 and data structures(e.g., software instructions) embodying or used by any one or more ofthe methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 624may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 604 or within the processor 602 during execution thereof by thecomputer system 600, the main memory 604 and the processor 602 alsoconstituting machine-readable media.

While the machine-readable medium 622 is shown in an exemplaryembodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” mayinclude a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, or associated caches and servers) that store theone or more instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall alsobe taken to include any tangible medium that is capable of storing,encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies ofembodiments of the present invention, or that is capable of storing,encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with suchinstructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories andoptical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediainclude non-volatile memory, including by way of exemplary semiconductormemory devices (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flashmemory devices); magnetic disks such as internal hard disks andremovable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Transmission Medium

The instructions 624 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 626 using a transmission medium via the networkinterface device 620 and utilizing any one of a number of well-knowntransfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communication networksinclude a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), theInternet, mobile telephone networks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS)networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi and WiMax networks).The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangiblemedium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructionsfor execution by the machine, and includes digital or analogcommunications signals or other intangible medium to facilitatecommunication of such software.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific exemplary embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention. Suchembodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein,individually or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any single invention or inventive concept if more thanone is, in fact, disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Moreover, plural instances may be provided for resources, operations, orstructures described herein as a single instance. Additionally,boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, anddata stores are somewhat arbitrary, and particular operations areillustrated in a context of specific illustrative configurations. Otherallocations of functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scopeof various embodiments of the present invention. In general, structuresand functionality presented as separate resources in the exemplaryconfigurations may be implemented as a combined structure or resource.Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resourcemay be implemented as separate resources.

These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvementsfall within a scope of embodiments of the present invention asrepresented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

1. A method comprising: in response to receiving, from a potentialbuyer, an indication of a selection of a plurality of items offered by aparticular seller, providing, using at least one hardware processor,data relating to pricing of individual ones of the plurality of items;receiving an offer to buy a combination of two or more of the pluralityof items, the offer to buy the combination includes a single price forthe combination; and providing information that conveys the offer to buythe combination to the particular seller.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the data relating to the pricing comprises data corresponding toone or more sellers other than the particular seller.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the data relating to the pricing comprises datacorresponding to items that are similar to the individual ones of theplurality of items.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining whether the potential buyer is qualified to make the offerto buy the combination; and preventing the potential buyer from makingthe offer based on the potential buyer not being qualified.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising providing a transaction historyfor the potential buyer to the particular seller in response toreceiving the offer.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingproviding identity and feedback information of the particular seller tothe potential buyer.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing thedata relating to pricing comprises: determining whether a furthercombination of similar items identical to the combination has beenpreviously sold by the particular seller; based on the furthercombination having been previously sold by the particular seller,providing pricing data for the further combination to the potentialbuyer; based on the determination that no further combination of similaritems identical to the combination has been previously sold, determiningif a smaller combination comprising fewer similar items than all of theitems in the combination has been previously sold by the particularseller; and based on the smaller combination having been previously soldby the particular seller, providing pricing data for the smallercombination to the potential buyer.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising creating a listing for a combination package identical to thecombination based on the particular seller accepting the offer for thecombination.
 9. A system comprising: at least one hardware processor; ahistory module to provide, using the at least one hardware processor,data relating to pricing of individual ones of a plurality of items inresponse to receiving, from a potential buyer, an indication of aselection of the plurality of items offered by a particular seller; andan offer processing module, implemented by the at least one processor,to receive an offer to buy a combination of two or more of the pluralityof items, the offer to buy the combination includes a single price forthe combination from the potential buyer, and to provide informationthat conveys the offer to buy the combination to the particular seller.10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a buyer qualificationmodule to determine whether the potential buyer is qualified to make theoffer to buy the combination; and prevent the potential buyer frommaking the offer based on the potential buyer not being qualified. 11.The system of claim 9, further comprising a seller qualification moduleto prescreen the particular seller prior to allowing the particularseller to offer the plurality of items for selection in generating thecombination.
 12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a reputationengine to manage feedback data associated with the potential buyer andthe particular seller.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the datarelating to the pricing comprises data corresponding to one or moresellers other than the particular seller or to items that are similar tothe individual ones of the plurality of items.
 14. A machine-readablemedium having no transitory signals and storing instructions which, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: in response to receiving, from apotential buyer, an indication of a selection of a plurality of itemsoffered by a particular seller, providing data relating to pricing ofindividual ones of the plurality of items; receiving an offer to buy acombination of two or more of the plurality of items, the offer to buythe combination includes a single price for the combination; andproviding information that conveys the offer to buy the combination tothe particular seller.
 15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14,wherein the data relating to the pricing comprises data corresponding toone or more sellers other than the particular seller.
 16. Themachine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the data relating to thepricing comprises data corresponding to items that are similar to theindividual ones of the plurality of items.
 17. The machine-readablemedium of claim 14, further comprising: determining whether thepotential buyer is qualified to make the offer to buy the combination;and preventing the potential buyer from making the offer based on thepotential buyer not being qualified.
 18. The machine-readable medium ofclaim 14, further comprising providing a transaction history for thepotential buyer to the particular seller in response to receiving theoffer.
 19. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, further comprisingproviding identity and feedback information of the particular seller tothe potential buyer.
 20. The machine-readable medium of claim 14,wherein the providing the data relating to pricing comprises:determining whether a further combination of similar items identical tothe combination has been previously sold by the particular seller; basedon the further combination having been previously sold by the particularseller, providing pricing data for the further combination to thepotential buyer; based on the determination that no further combinationof similar items identical to the combination has been previously sold,determining if a smaller combination comprising fewer similar items thanall of the items in the combination has been previously sold by theparticular seller; and based on the smaller combination having beenpreviously sold by the particular seller, providing pricing data for thesmaller combination to the potential buyer.